1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of garments and particularly to children""s garments. More specifically the present invention relates to a garment including a blouse or shirt portion and a pants portion having pant legs which are closed at their free ends with end walls to define integral boot portions. A draw string is provided around the outer surface of each pant leg at or above the wearer ankle to define the size of the garment boot portion. The end wall is pulled against or placed in close proximity with the end of the wearer feet and the draw strings are drawn snugly around the pant leg, gripping and anchoring the pant leg against the wearer leg, preferably at the wearer ankle. Then the free ends of each draw string are tied or otherwise secured together. A key inventive feature of the present invention is that, should the feet of a garment wearer such as a child grow, or should another person of a different foot size use the garment, the boot portion size is automatically defined at that very foot size because the foot fills exactly the length of pant leg corresponding the length of the given foot, and the draw string is once again tied to secure with friction the pant leg to the wearer leg, again preferably at the wearer ankle, so that the wearer foot does not slide in and out of the pant leg free end during walking. Where the size of the wearer foot placed into the garment increases, part of the pant leg length becomes part of the boot portion length as needed to make the boot portion just that much larger for a perfect fit. Where the size of the foot placed in the garment decreases, part of the boot portion length becomes part of the pant leg length to make the boot portion just that much smaller, once again for a perfect fit. In either instance, the draw string then is tied to fix and define the new boot portion size.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have long been matching garment sets including separate shirts, pants and booties. Examples of such sets are the DAY ""N NITEES(trademark) manufactured by STAYON PRODUCTS, INC.(trademark), where the booties have tie strings. A problem with this prior garment set is that the booties are separate, so that when they are tied around the wearer ankles they always define booties of the same one size. Other examples are those of the TODDLETIME(trademark) Terry Stretch-All Sleepers and the BRIGHT FUTURE(trademark) Footed Terry Stretch-all, in which the booties are a unified part of the pants, and the pants are separate from the shirt. A problem with these garments is that no tying means are provided near the boot portions to define the boot portions at any given size. As a result, unless the wearer leg and foot just match the length of the leg and bootie combination, the foot either presses uncomfortably against the closed end of the bootie or the foot slides within the pant leg toward and away from the bootie closed end.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a garment having pants with a unified boot portion which is of adjustable size to accommodate some growth of a child or the size difference another wearer.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a garment in which the boot portions are secured to the wearer ankles with tying means, to define boot portions of a size matching the wearer foot size and so that the wearer foot does not slide in and out of the boot portions.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide such a garment which also includes a unified shirt portion.
It is finally an object of the present invention to provide such a garment which can be manufactured at a price which is competitive with those of other garments sold for similar purposes.
The present invention accomplishes the above-stated objectives, as well as others, as may be determined by a fair reading and interpretation of the entire specification.
A garment is provided including a pants portion having a waist region and two pant legs, each of the pant legs including a leg connected end joined to the waist region and a leg free end having an end wall which closes the leg free end, so that the waist region and two pant legs are unified as a single piece garment; and a pant leg tying element secured around each of the pant legs for contracting the given pant leg around and against a wearer leg contained within the pant leg to grip the wearer leg, preferably at the ankle, and thereby to define a garment boot portion at the leg free end matching the size of the given wearer foot and preventing relative movement of the given wearer foot within the given leg free end.
The pant leg tying elements preferably include a cord wrapped around each leg free end. The cord is preferably a draw string contained within a circumferential pant leg pocket, the cord having draw string free ends extending out of the circumferential pant leg pocket for pulling the pant leg material snugly around the wearer leg, preferably at the ankle, and for tying together to releasibly secure the pant leg relative to the wearer leg.
The garment preferably additionally includes a shirt portion joined to the pants portion so that the shirt portion and the pants portion together form a unified one-piece garment. The shirt portion preferably includes a collar and an upright wearer entry slit extending downwardly from the collar, the slit being fitted with a releasible slit fastener for closing the wearer entry slit. The wearer entry slit optionally is divided into two leg slits, each of the leg slits extending longitudinally along one of the pant legs and being fitted with the releasible slit fastener. Each of the tying elements preferably is positioned along the corresponding pant leg to grip the wearer leg in the vicinity of the wearer ankle.